Location: Tonami, Masuda-machi, Yokote City Site(s) of performance: Tonami Shrine and the open space in front of the Tonami Annex of Masuda Community Center Date(s): May 5 (the annual Tonami Festival) and August 14 Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Furyū The community of Tonami practices every year what they call Gion Bayashi (Gion …
Location: Fukamauchi, Kami-Yoshida, Hiraka-machi, Yokote City Site(s) of performance: Itago Shrine and other places in the community Date(s): August 23 (the day of annual festival of Itago Shrine) Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Dai-Kagura The origin of this kagura goes back to the time of the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. A samurai …
Location: Shiraiwa-Donokuchi, Kakunodate-machi, Semboku City Site(s) of performance: Sui Shrine and other places in the community Date(s): August 7 and 13–16 Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Sasara and Horse Dance What is characteristic of the lion heads for the sasara dance in this area is that they have large horns. The origin of …
Location: Yokooka-Omori, Kisakata-machi, Nikaho City Site(s) of performance: Ōmori Shinmei Shrine Date(s): 3rd Sunday of July Designation: City-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Puppet Theater and Kabuki Ōmori Kabuki is a rural kabuki that was performed at the annual festival of Ōmori Shinmei Shrine. The story is taken from Act 5 (Yamazaki-Kaidō) of one of …
Location: Iwasaki, Yuzawa City Site(s) of performance: The open space in front of Yuzawa Community Center Date(s): August 16 Category: Bon Dance There used to be woodcutters from other areas visiting Mt. Yakichi near Iawasaki, who taught the villagers this Bon dance. It is a slow dance mostly with hand movements. It is a Bon …
Location: Nishimonai, Ugo Town Site(s) of performance: Nishimonai-Honchō Street Date(s): August 16–18 Designation: State-Designated Important Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Bon Dance According to the oldest records available of dancing at Nishimonai, sometime during the Shōō period (1288–1292), when the priest Genshin established Zaō Gogen Temple (present-day Mitake Shrine), the dance was performed in the …
Location: Kami-Sendo, Ugo Town Site(s) of performance: Hakusan Shrine, the lion head keeper’s house, and other places in the community Date(s): Mid-April and the days of Obon in August Designation: Prefecture-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property Category: Shishimai and Bangaku The troupe starts from the lion head keeper’s house to Hakusan Shrine with marching music. Once …
Location: Gomihori, Kita-Akita City Site(s) of performance: Tenshō-Kōtai Shrine Date(s): 2nd Sunday of September Category: Furyū This is a dance around a rice cake mortar. The dance music has counting-down lyrics. After the dance, very small rice cakes prepared in square wooden boxes are thrown to the audience in prayer for bumper crops and home …
Location: Funauchiba, Tashiro, Higashiyuri-machi, Yurihonjo City Site(s) of performance: Yamanokami Shrine and other places in the community Date(s): August 13 and 14 and 2nd Saturday of September Category: Shishimai and Bangaku The Funauchiba Lion Dance has four lion dances in the strict sense and one bangaku dance: namely the Kado-jishi (Entrance-Visit Lion Dance), Kami-mai (Divine …
Location: Higashiyuri-Kurobuchi, Yurihonjo City Site(s) of performance: Mitake Shrine, the lion head’s keeper’s house, and other places in the community Date(s): late July and August 7 and 14 (no longer performed as of the time of the survey conducted in fiscal year 2020) Category: Shishimai and Bangaku The Chikanosawa Bangaku consists of a lion dance …